Hippolytus
by JamesPipe
Summary: A retelling of the story of Hippolytus. I put in a lot of research but it might not be historically accurate. Also I threw in some originality.
1. Youth

I've been born into a strange world. I am son of Theseus. You know Theseus, yes? The King of Athens? The by-product of sea god Poseidon raping grandmother Aethra? Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur? Friend of Zeus' favourite son, Heracles*? .. You have no idea who I speak of; this does not matter. Theseus is my father, and I am his eldest son. My name is Hippolytus, which means 'loose horse'. I am a prince.  
*Hercules

I am definitely Theseus' son, but there is some debate over who was my mother. She was an Amazonian royal, but they're not sure which one. It was during Heracles' mission to retrieve a magical girdle from the Amazons, Theseus met my mother, the daughter of war god Ares.

Was it Antiope? Theseus kidnapped Antiope to Athens, where he forced her into marriage and laid my seed in her. The Amazons were not pleased about Antiope being forced to marry Theseus, and launched an attack to rescue her. During the attack, Antiope was injured, and unable to escape. In order to save her from a life as Thesus' wife-slave, the Amazon Molpadia killed Antiope with a spear, in an act of mercy. In this scenario, I would have been born sometime after the kidnapping and before Antiope's death.

But, Antiope may have died an alternate way; Theseus was preparing to take a second wife in Phaedra, which greatly angered Antiope. Antiope, Amazon princess, threatened Theseus that she would kill every single wedding guest if he married Phaedra. It took every single attendee, including the mighty Heracles, all attacking at once, to finally slay Antiope.

Or, was my mother Antiope's older sister, Hippolyta? The Amazon queen Hippolyta fell in love with Heracles during his quest for the magic girdle. As a joke, Heracles used Hippolyta, and then gave her to Theseus as a trophy wife. Theseus may have killed Hippolyta while fleeing from the Amazons, but this theory doesn't really explain how Hippolyta is my mother.

There is also a possibility that Hippolyta was taken with Theseus to Athens, and later died giving birth to me.

To add more confusion, Hippolyta may have been the 'first wife' mentioned before, instead of Antiope. In this case, Hippolyta was angry with Theseus for planning on marrying Phaedra, promised to kill all attending the wedding, and was eventually killed by the wedding guests.

Why is there so much confusion about my mother's identiy? Or how she died? Theseus, Heracles, and all the rest tell a lot of stories, but the stories do not always make sense; they overlap, they contradict, they are altered everytime they are told, and I would reckon most are nothing but make-believe. As a boy, when I asked too many questions, I would be mocked by Theseus and his companions. I've learnt that history doesn't really matter, because it's passed already. It is irrelevant who birthed me, for I never met my mother or my aunt, or any Amazons for that matter. The only mother I have ever known is Phaedra.

Phaedra is a granddaughter to Zeus, a Crete princess. By Theseus, Phaedra has given me two step brothers, in Demophon and Acamas. (Much later in life, as part of an army, my brothers would infiltrate the city of Troy inside a wooden Trojan horse.)

Phaedra is much younger than Theseus, and just a bit older than me. She is a beautiful step-mother, kind and gentle. Not only does she fill the place of my dead mother, Phaedra is my friend.

While growing up, I would sit for hours, listening to Theseus and Heracles tell epic tales of conquest and lust, while they drank numerous bottles of wine. I sat stunned, listening to a boastful Heracles gloating over murdering his first three children during one of his 'mood swings'. Theseus would jovially recall the time he violentally killed a thief at the gates of the Netherworld, before raping the thief's daughter.

While Theseus and the rest of them had no truths to tell me, Phaedra told me all she knew. It turns out that Ariadne, Phaedra's older sister, helped Theseus to defeat the Minotaur, by supplying Theseus with a magic sword. Ariadne helped again, by supplying Theseus with thread, so that he wouldn't get lost in the Minotaur's maze. I was astonished, because Theseus had told the Minotaur story many times, and he was always the lone heroic character involved. Phaedra explained bitterly how Theseus promised to marry Ariadne, but then abandoned her on Naxos, an isle of wild beasts. Phaedra went on to explain how her brother Deucalion, had given her to Theseus. Theseus showed his gratitude by killing Deucalion and crushing his bones to dust.

I knew that I didn't want to become Theseus, a violent and lustful King. Such chauvinistic and misogynistic tales had lead me to my eventual decision: I would be chaste.

To Be Continued.....

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_Originally posted September 15th 2006_

_EDIT: If you want a better idea of the geneology, email me and I'll give you the link to the map._


	2. Phaedra

I completely rejected the love goddess Aphrodite, and instead became dedicated to Artemis, virgin goddess of the hunt. I had never known the inner-workings of woman, but like any young man, I certainly felt a strong affinity for them. I learnt to control this hunger for the femina. I became a recluse, spending all my time in the wilderness, in forests. I would hunt down wild animals and sacrifice them to Artemis. I developed an obsession with the moon.

Theseus saw it as an affront to both his lifestyle, his bloodline and his love godess Aphrodite. Theseus became so offended by me that I was sent to Troezen, where I lived with great grandfather Pittheus. Pittheus knew our heritage better than Theseus, and revealed to me that I was the great, great, great, great grandson of Zeus; Zeus begat Tantalus, who begat Pelops, who begat Pittheus, who begat Aethra, who begat Theseus, who begat me, Hippolytus.

In Troezen, I remained chaste, despite Pittheus' protests. To distract myself, I began to train my body daily. My nights were spent in the element, with the creatures. I would exercise during the days at the stadium. Occasionally, I would notice young women watching me eagerly from hidden spots. Pittheus suggested I not strip off all my garments before my daily routines. I explained that I was born into nature without clothes, and there was no need for them. As for the hidden women, I simply ignored them, keeping my vow to Artemis true.

One day, after a very exhausting hour of sprinting around the stadium, I fell onto my back and took a rest in the sand. I thought I saw a familiar face watching my form at rest, but she disappeared before I could confirm.

Later that day, I was greeted by Theseus and Phaedra, an expected arrival. Theseus, fresh from murdering the sons of Pallas, felt that he needed to be purified for his crimes in Troizen. Pallas' son were Theseus' cousins, and such a crime demanded cleansing. I was still angry with Theseus for sending me away, so I quickly left with Phaedra. Phaedra revealed that Theseus was lying, to protect his pride. The truth was Theseus fled Athens because of a violent revolt that threatened his reign. Phaedra admitted that both Theseus and herself had been in Troizen for nearly a week; hiding from both Theseus' enemies, and at Theseus' suggestion, me. I noted that Theseus was also still angry with me. Although it broke with my tradition of sleeping outdoors, Phaedra wished me to stay in Pittheus' home that night. I reluctantly accepted.

Later that evening, I was in the midst of sacrificing a chicken when Phaedra entered my room. As I mentioned before, nature has taken ahold of my body, and I do not always wear clothing. Phaedra didn't seem to mind, and told me to lie down on the bed. I complied, stretching out on my back, and wondered why Theseus' wife had approached me so late at night. It soon became apparent.

Phaedra lay next to me, and explained how she had been watching me all week, exercising in the bare. Phaedra went on to admit that she was madly in love with me, and she needed me to be madly in love with her as well. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to ignore my buried lust for women. I had rejected Aphrodite, and all masculine desires for a very long time. It was no use, as I watched Phaedra strip off her clothes. Her beautiful form glowed, taunting me to become one with her.

My vow of chastity to Artemis seemed suddenly meaningless; Even still, I started to protest, and Phaedra silenced me with a kiss. That night, I gave into Aphrodite, to my biological urges, and nature truly took ahold of me. I, Hippolytus, have lain with only one mortal woman, and it was Phaedra.

In my slumber, I realized that both Phaedra and I were descendents of Zeus, albeit from different families. It was a form of distant-incest, but it didn't really matter to me. I decided that I loved Phaedra. Still unconscious, I decided to take Phaedra and run away from Theseus, before he found out what I had done with his wife. I woke up the next day to find a note lying in Phaedra's spot. Phaedra apologized to me, claiming that to be possessed by a demon. She went on to explain how guilty she felt about lying with me, her step-son, and the guilt was unbearable. Phaedra claimed all responsibility, hoping Theseus could forgive me. I was very sad to see Phaedra hanging from the rafter, right above the bed.

Incredibly bad timing sent Theseus in, to find his wife dead and his son crying nearby. Wordless, Theseus read Phaedra's final words. Finally, Theseus demanded the truth. I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent. Theseus was vehement that both son and wife had betrayed him in such a manner. I was banished from Troizen, and left quickly on one of Pittheus' horses, to Argos.

On the way there, from the sea charged a bull, heading right for my horse and I. The horse became frightened, and I was thrown off. I died next to the sea, on the rocks, under the hooves of the horse. It is strange that my name means 'loose horse', for a loose horse contributed to my death. Thus, ends the life of Hippolytus.

To Be Continued.....

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_-Originally posted September 16th 2006_

_EDIT: There was supposed to be a third chapter as conclusion, but it's unfinished.  
_

_EDIT: If you want a better idea of the geneology, email me and I'll give you the link to the map._


End file.
